Nestled among rolling hills, under misty skies, is a sleepy township that is waking up.

Key points:

Jumbun is a community of about 140 people between Townsville and Cairns

It once thrived as a farming township, and visitors drive through Jumbun to see the nearby Murray Falls

Locals want to take control of the land and create jobs, rather than relying on government funding

The small Indigenous community of Jumbun is on a mission to take full control of its land and create meaningful employment on country.

Jumbun is a 244-hectare freehold property near Cardwell, about halfway between Townsville and Cairns.

In 1976, the Aboriginal Land Fund Commission purchased the land, which has been inherited by several other government authorities since — the current being the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC).

The community has also relied on government funding for employment, services and projects in the past.

A prosperous past

Mr Muriata said the farming township thrived from the early 1980s to the late 1990s, when produce like bananas, pumpkins and watermelons turned over big dollars and many locals were employed.

"Confidence was sky high," Mr Muriata said.

"We had a prosperous farm. We worked probably 12 hours a day, sometimes 13, 14 hours a day every day … to make our farm work, to make this place work."

Tourism ventures including cultural tours were also being developed in the early 2000s.

Locals said agriculture and tourism faded from about 2009 after the withdrawal of the Federal Government's Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), which helped the community grow sustainable enterprises.